A Preliminary Assessment of Adding New Retail Space in the City of Snoqualmie, Washington: The Case of the Highway 18/Interstate 90 Interchang

This thesis is a preliminary assessment to determine the feasibility of annexing 85 additional acres into Snoqualmie, Washington's urban growth area (UGA), based on smart growth practices, retail trends and the city's visions. Snoqualmie is located approximately thirty miles east of Seattle, Washington along Interstate 90. A recent economic analysis states that Snoqualmie is experiencing a seventy percent retail leakage and is short retail land (approximately thirty to forty acres). Snoqualmie has proposed to annex the Highway 18/I-90 interchange to the city's Urban Growth Area (UGA) making it available for development. The interchange is comprised of 85 acres and is currently designated rural residential and zoned RA-5, one home per five acres. (King County 2012) The land proposed to be annexed is on the edge of the town, adjacent to the interstate and slated for big-box development. This land falls within the protected Mountains to Sound Greenway corridor and has thus been denied twice by King County to include it in the UGA. The corridor is comprised of 1.5 million acres, providing a connected landscape for nature, wildlife, recreation, working forests, agriculture and education. The Mountains to Sound Greenway is working to ensure this land is preserved for future generations. It is the Mountains to Sound Greenway's mission to "conserve and enhance the landscape from Seattle across the Cascade Mountains to Central Washington ensuring a long-term balance between people and nature." (Mountains to Sound Greenway 2014).;After assessing the proposed annexation based on smart growth principles and real estate trends, it is not recommended to annex Highway 18/I-90 Interchange into Snoqualmie's UGA. It is recommended that the interchange remain zoned as Rural Residential and within the Mountains to Sound Greenway Corridor. Alternative ways to add retail in a smart growth manner, consistent with city's visions are included.